Tips And Ideas For Garden Patio Home

Published at 03/11/2012 00:50:38

Introduction

Planning how to furnish, decorate, and choose plants for a garden patio at home is lots of fun and makes the patio a wonderful place for entertaining and relaxing. You do not have to be an expert decorator or spend tons of money. Looking at a few tips for things to consider before planning designs and shopping helps to coordinate the looks, seating and make the garden patio home an inviting place to enjoy.

Step 1

Plan before buying. Consider all the items you already have for the patio and those that you plan to buy in the future. What you want to do is make sure that larger-sized pieces can still fit comfortably on the patio and provide enough space for adults and children to walk. Drawing out a rough sketch of the patio dimensions with the furniture pieces, plants, grills and water fountains will help give you an idea on spacing. Large lounges, tables, bars, fountains and fire pits take up the most space in a garden patio home and need to take priority before considering the addition of new plants.

Step 2

Design where plants will be located and think about containers in your garden patio home. If you are just getting started on a new patio and have not purchased or designed planters, you have a lot of options. Patio roofs provide shelter from the sun, which is great for shade loving plants, but this also means plants requiring full sun must be placed on the edges of the patio to get the most sunlight.

Window planter boxes filled with bright-colored flowers are showy and make a nice focal point on patios. Wood or metal planter boxes on wheels placed along the edge of the patio can receive plenty of sunlight and may be perfect for a charming herb garden. Placing two or three large pots filled with big plants or potted trees grouped together in a corner makes a nice addition to a garden patio home. Consider adding trellises for climbing roses or vines on the west or south sides of the patio to provide protection from the hot afternoon sun.

Another option to think about when choosing plants and small trees for a garden patio home is whether they will be annuals or perennials. Annuals typically only last a year and die off, but perennials plants can last for about two to five years. If you buy patio trees such as dwarf citrus, Ficus, flowering plums, cherries, or magnolias, you may have to provide protection during the winters.

Step 3

Choose the best plants, shrubs, flowers and trees. To make a beautiful garden patio home, consider the heights and widths of plants, colors, textures, fragrances and whether they drop leaves. Some of the prettiest gardens have plants at all levels. Think about placing tall trees in the background, low shrubs like gardenias next and eye-catching geraniums in the front. A row of hanging petunias, poppies or marigolds add color to roof lines. If no one is bothered by allergies, consider adding plants with natural fragrances such as Jasmine, gardenias and herb gardens filled with lavender.

Tips

As you design your garden patio home make sure to leave enough space between furniture and plants so it does not have a cluttered look and cause safety issues. Choose the right growing locations for plants to provide enough shade or sun as needed. Make sure you have access to a nearby hose for watering plants during hot summer months in your garden patio home.